'The Nomad': Songs of a female explorer

Joe Meyers

Updated 12:48 pm, Wednesday, March 18, 2015

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The adventures in the Sahara of the pioneer feminist Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904) are the subject of a new musical "The Nomad" playing at the Flea Theater in downtown Manhattan. A young company of actors play multiple roles in this off-Broadway hit. less

The adventures in the Sahara of the pioneer feminist Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904) are the subject of a new musical "The Nomad" playing at the Flea Theater in downtown Manhattan. A young company of actors play ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

'The Nomad': Songs of a female explorer

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The vibrant and provocative new musical at the the Flea Theater -- "The Nomad" -- is based on the life of a Swiss woman who turned her back on Europe and spent her adulthood in the Sahara.

Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904) defied many of the conventions of her time. She refused the limits placed on her gender, often passing herself off as a man so she wouldn't be hassled in her travels and work. Eberhardt made enemies of the French colonials in Africa by supporting and writing about the poor and disenfranchised native people.

She also converted to Islam and grew to love traveling with desert nomads who had no more material possessions than they could carry on horseback.

Although the musical only runs a bit over an hour, it is a richer and more satisfying experience than most shows two or three times its length. Elizabeth Swados composed the haunting, multicultural music and collaborated on the book and lyrics with Erin Courtney.

Swados also directed "The Nomad" in close collaboration with choreographer Ani Taj who keeps the 13-member company of actors moving and shifting identities in a seamless manner, within a relatively small playing space.

Through the magic of the stagecraft and the beautiful, subtle music we are transported to a foreign place as completely as we would be in a movie. Set and costume designer Lydia Fine also created puppets and other props that add to the exotic feeling of a great true story that sometimes plays like a female version of "Lawrence of Arabia."

Isabelle's journey also carries echoes of the Paul Bowles novel, "The Sheltering Sky," in which a sophisticated America woman went native in the same region. That character eventually collapsed emotionally under the strain; Isabelle quickly adapted and thrived in the new culture. She was a true feminist pioneer.